TITLE:
Interleukin-1 Beta (IL-1β) in the Peripheral Blood of Dogs as a Possible Marker for the Detection of Early Stages of Inflammation
AUTHORS:
Christian Prachar, Franz-Josef Kaup, Stephan Neumann
KEYWORDS:
IL-1β; Interleukin-1 Beta; ELISA; Dog
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.3 No.7,
November
29,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: Cytokines are mediators of disease. Expression levels in the blood
could be of clinical relevance. Objective: Aim of this study was to show if serum levels of
IL-1β could be of any clinical
relevance concerning dogs. IL-1β was
measured in serum samples of healthy dogs to find a reference range for healthy
individuals. Measurements of IL-1β should show if this substance was a possible marker for early stages of
inflammation. Therefore, a possible relation between serum levels and grades of
leukocytosis was analyzed. Methods: IL-1β concentrations in the blood
were assessed by the use of a human enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
39 dogs with different inflammatory diseases were analyzed to figure out if
there was a correlation between IL-1β serum levels and the number of leukocytes in peripheral blood. The control
group consisted of 16 healthy dogs. Results: about half of the samples IL-1β were detected.
Most of the patients showed no detectable amounts of IL-1β. The IL-1β levels
measured in the serum were stable for at least nine weeks when stored at ?20?C.
The patients tested positively on IL-1β had mostly lower-grade leukocytosis compared to those who had no IL-1β in serum. All the dogs which were
suffering from disease but still had no traceable IL-1β, showed a leukocytosis as a common symptom. Conclusion: This study
showed that IL-1β could become an
interesting marker for the detection of early stages of inflammation when
leukocytosis does not yet appear in peripheral blood. Nonetheless, the possible
use in diagnosis is restricted. This is due to the fact that there are only low
amounts of IL-1β to be detected in
the serum, even concerning patients are suffering from disease.